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(No Model.)

PL H. RICHARDS.

GBNTRIPUGAL MACHINE. 8 No. 384,718. Patented June 19, 1888.

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.UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK H. RICHARDS, OF TROY, NEV YORK.v

CENTR|FUGAL truien-unna.`

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 384,718, dated June 19,188,8.

Application filed May 3, 188B. Serial No. 272,635.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK H. RICHARDS, of Troy, county of Rensselaer,and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and uses fulImprovements in Centrifugal Machines, of which the following is a full,clear, and eXact description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

Myinvention has relation to that class of ma chines employed fordischarging moisture from various articles or substances, andparticularly (though not exclusively) from cloths or fabrics, throughthe action of centrifugal force, which machines are now commonly knownas centrifugal machines77 or whizzers77 The object of my invention is toproduce a machine of the class named, in which the basket or receptaclefor the goods shall automatically assume a position such that the wearand friction upon the bearings and movable parts will be uniform for anyrate of speed, or for any load in which the power required to accomplishthe required rapid revolution of the basket shall at all times be mostadvantageously applied without waste for overcoming unnecessaryfriction, and in which the parts shall be few and simple, easy toconstruct, and not liable to get out of order. To accomplish all ofthis, and to secure other advantages in the matters of construction andoperation, my improvements involve certain new and useful relativearrangements or combinations of parts, peculiarities of construction,and principles of operation, all of which will be herein first fullydescribed, and then pointed out inthe claims.

.In thcaccompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure1 is a sectional elevation of a machine constructed and arranged foroperation in accordance with my invention and involvingmy.i1nprovements. Fig. 2 is a similar View of a fragment, showing theapplication' of a number of elastic balls between the step and base orbed instead of the single ball shown in Fig. l; and Fig. 3 is a plan ofthe base corresponding with that of Fig. 2.'

In all the figures like letters of reference, wherever they occur,indicate corresponding parts.

A is a perforated basket or cage (usually of metal) which receives thematerial from which moisture is to be discharged. It is mounted upon ashaft, B, which is turned through the medium of a belt applied to apulley, as G .on

plied to the stationary wall D, or to the base or bed plate, the arm orarms carrying asocket, G, which receives a ball, I-I, applied upon theshaft. The ball-and-socket joint permits the shaft to incline, as willbe readily understood.. The lower end of the shaft is mounted in a step,I, which may move upon the bed-plate, and in which step the shaftrevolves. The surface a, on whichV the step moves, is a portion of asphere, its center being in the center of the ball H, so that the stepis free to move over it,without raising the shaftin the upper ball,however far the lower end of the shaft may move from the vertical orcentral position.

I-Ieretofore in these machines a ball-andsocket ljoint for the upper endof the shaft has been used, and a step for the lower end made to rideupona curved surface having a radius shorter than the distance to thecenter of the upper ball, the universal joint upon which the shaft orspindle swings when there is any lateral movement. In this old form,when the shaft or spindle swings out from its central or -verticalposition, it has to ascend an incline-` that is, it has to ascend theincreasing curvature of the surface on which it rides-lifting thecentral shaft with the basket and its load, and the force of gravityconstantly tends to return it to the central line. In my machine thelower surface of the step of course corresponds in curvature with thcsurface on which it rides.

My means of retaining or returning the step to its central position isprovided in an elastic ball, K, placed in suitable recesses b b in thecurved surface a and the under surface of the step I. If the elasticball were not used, the spindle and basket would be free to ily out inIVOO any direction, and would revolve as freely in one place as inanother, the basket and contents being perfectly balanced; but if, asusually happens, the contents are not balanced, the tendency of theheavier side of the load, with its greater centrifugal force, is to drawthe basket in the direction of the heavier side, and this it willcontinue to do as the basket revolves. Consequently, being free to move,it will move too far, and its movement must be controlled. If it beattempted to control this lateral movement by making the shaft revolvein fixed bearings, great friction is produced against one side of theshaft, entailing loss 'of power and rapid wearing of shaftand" bearings;but if, while free to move laterally when the shaft and step are in acentral posi4 tion, a slight resist-ance to lateral movement beprovided,and a resistance increasing as the distance from the centerincreases,when a certain speed is attained the loaded basket and shaft,instead of revolving around the center of the shaft, begin to revolveabout the center of gravity of the'combined weight, and after this, nomatter how the speed of rotation increases, they Ywill continue torevolve about their center of gravity, with little strain to any of theparts. The improved machine may thus be called,and is,a self-centeringmachine, in that, in obedience to the slight check provided by theelasticity of the ball, it finds the center of gravity of the basket,with its unevenly distributed load, and establishes a free revolutionabout that center. A further function of the elastic ball is found inits lifting tendency or capacity. It should not be allowed to lift thestep under any circnmstances,as that would cause the machine to rattle,and result in injury to one or both of the curved surfaces; but the ballshould beso proportioned in size and density,and the shape and size ofthe recesses so adj usted ,th at it shall not raise the step fromcomplete contact with the curved plate. Still, when the step moveslaterally from the center, the ball bears more or less against one ofthe inclined sides of the recess in the surface of the step and againstthe opposite inclined side of the recess in the lower curved plate, andloe-VYy tween the two the elastic ball tends to lift the Weight of thestep, making it consequently bear more lightly and easily upon thecurved plate a.

In this machine the lateral movement required to enable the shaft tofind the center of gravity and establish its revolution about it issmall, and the annular recess c is sunk around the edge of the curvedplate a and below its surface, so that the edge of the base of the stepmay sometimes travel beyond it,and thus wear the'vvhol'e surface and notleave a raised ridge unworn around the edge to interfere with its freemovement. The radius of the curved plate a being the distance from thecenter of the universal `ioint upon which the shaft oscillates, the sideof the bearing in the step is aln ways in line or coincident with thesurface of the shaft in contact with it. 'Ihe shaft consequently alwaysbears along the whole depth of the bearing in contact with it, and notagainst the top at one side and against the bottom at the other. Thereis no tendency to wear the hole larger and looser at the top and bottomof it, or the shaft smaller and looser in the saine way. Y n

Instead of the single central elastic ball K, a number (three or more)of such balls, as at K K, Fig. 2, may be placed in suitable recesses inthe curved surfaces equidistant from the center, and also equidistantfrom each other. In this case the shaft could be placed'lower by adistance equal to about one-half the diameter of the central elasticball,vvhich would be desirable in the larger machines. The elastic ballsso placed would also entirely prevent the step from revolving, leavingall the wear of revolution in the interior of the step, as provided for.

Thel dotted lines d and e are employed to represent the length of theradius and direction of the curved surface.

rIhe elastic balls are preferably made of rubi ber, but vmay be made ofother'suitable material, or may be replaced by other and equiva-V lentyielding devices.

Being constructed and arranged substantially in accordance with theforegoing eXpla nations, the improved machine will be found to admirablyanswer the purpose or object of the invention, as previously set forth.Y

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

y 1. In a centrifugal machine, the basketshaft, `combined with a movablestep at its boty tom, a universal joint at its top, and an elastic ballor balls for regulating the travel of the step, substantially as and forthe purposes set forth.

2. In a centrifugal machine, the basketshaft,combined with a movablestep at its bottom and a universal joint at its top, said step beingmounted and arranged to travel upon a curved surface of which the centeris in the center of the universal joint, and au elastic ball or ballsinterposed between the step and base, substantially as set forth.

3. In a centrifugal machine, the basketshaft,eombinedwith a movable stepat its bottom, and an elastic ball or balls for regulating the travel ofthe step, the step being mounted upon a curved surface, substantially asand for the purposes set forth.

4. In a centrifugal machine, the combination of the base and the movablestep mounted thereon, said base and step being provided With recessesfor receiving 'an elastic ball or balls, substantially as explained.

In testimony 'that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand inthe presence of two witnesses.

FRANK H. RICHARDS. Vitnessesz,

JOHN BUCKLER, WORTH Gseoon.

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